Streaming video is often sent and received using different files sizes with varying bit rates and formats. The bit rates, formats, and file sizes depend upon available encodings, network bandwidth, and media player or device processing speeds. Some media players and devices start video playback using a lower bit-rate in order to optimize for speed of playback, reception bandwidth, network, and initial buffering during video playback. However, these techniques tend to degrade picture quality. Due to this initial buffering and low bit-rate, especially with larger video files such as streamed movies, video quality for the initial seconds or minutes of the start of playback of the streaming content may be displayed with poor picture quality.